Tomodachi Life Is Coming To The West, And It Looks Completely Bizarre

Tomodachi Collection: New Life* is indeed coming to the west. Nintendo announced this morning that the game will come to North America and Europe under the title Tomodachi Life.

Details of the game were shared in the Nintendo Direct presentation above, and it demonstrates how surreal the entire thing can be, including a portion where Nintendo employees confess their love to Metroid’s Samus.

*”Tomodachi” means friend.

Tomodachi Life is a life-simulation game where a number of Miis live on an island, and interact with one another as they go about their daily lives. This can include mingling, making friends, fighting, or even falling in love and having children. A large number of Miis can be imported into the game. Alternatively, you can create Miis of your own.

Once you’ve created your Mii, you can customize their voices and personality using the parameters you see above. Miis have their own taste in foods and their own behaviours and quirks. At certain points in Tomodachi Life, you can even enter a Mii’s dreams.

As new events and features are unlocked within the game, a news report announces these, making you aware of them. Tomodachi Life will be available for Nintendo 3DS and 2DS on June 6th in North America and Europe.

HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO PEACH, MIYAMOTO?! ZELDA IS FOR AONUMA, DAMNIT!!! AND THE LOVE OF SAMUS, TOO MUCH, TOO MUCH!!! #Priyamoto #Zelnuma #Samwata

All joking aside, I love this. I can’t wait to play this when it finally comes out. My only hope is they’ve added in samesex relationships properly this time, because that would be totally awesome. I’ll understand if they didn’t, though.

Wow idk if I’m going crazy but after viewing the trailer… I think this is the worst game I have seen in my entire life. But I am mind blown by the fact it sold millions in Japan. Need to find out why so popular

Guest

Maybe because it’s an odd and quirky title with a low entry barrier aimed to a different demographic than the one we usually see in video games and ultimately… fun?

xPhoenixMoon

Just not your cup of tea I suppose. I love these types of games, although I am not really into games like “The Sims” I do love more quirky simpler ones like this. Reminds me of games like Animal Crossing & Harvest Moon which I absolutely love.

KiTA

It’s the Sims. With Miis. How is this a hard concept?

PotatoPower

well think about it, you make miis of your friends, family members, or other iconic characters, and throw them into an island and watch them do ridiculous stuff with each other. it’ll probably be pretty funny to share it with your friends/family too

Dammit Nintendo!!! Now you guys are pretty much forcing me to get a summer job!! This, Mario Golf, Smash Bros, and Persona Q? One hell of a lineup for the 3DS this year!!!

bananaking123

can someone explain how this game and its kind is an attractive game to play?
I tried animal crossing and gave up very quickly(not the patient type)

Michael Richardson

It’s funny. It’s cute. It’s creative. Ultimately, games like this are entertaining. Why do you play games? I play them to have fun.

Also, I guarantee you that if you “gave up” on Animal Crossing quickly, then you saw almost none of its diverse content. It’s not a game you give up, really. It just becomes part of your daily schedule. Particularly New Leaf. Brush your teeth. Eat breakfast. Check on your Animal Crossing town. etc.

bananaking123

I actually did play it for quite some time(most of the buildings were built already, including the coveted club), and it felt more like a chore than a game at some point.
Though I won’t dismiss games like these, but I guess some form of incentives are required for me to play such games. Perhaps fantasy life would change this, IF it were to ever come over

Michael Richardson

I would call that “giving the game a fair shot and just not liking it.” It’s probably just not your kind of game. Tried Rune Factory yet? That might be more your speed. Another sim game you might consider is Disney Magical World.

bananaking123

being a huge disney fan, I am definitely getting magical world. Rune factory is a hit and a miss for me, mostly due to the lack of some form of multiplayer

Namuro

You pretty much answered your own question already. Games like Animal Crossing and Tomodachi Life are what gamers turn to when they just want to chill out, relax, and get away from all the excitement and action. It’s like a park in a busy town; some people might just want to sit on a bench and relax, after walking around shopping all day, and just look at trees, flowers, birds, etc.

It’s also kind of like watching a sitcom, only you get to choose the cast and take part in it to a certain extent.

But if you hate sitcoms, or just want adrenaline-fuelled action games, then you should skip this one.

bananaking123

never thought of games like these as sitcoms, probably not my taste. i guess i never understood the allure of Second Life type of games :X

Namuro

There are all kinds of games out there, for all kinds of people. You should just play games that you find enjoyable!

Also, sometimes people’s tastes change as they grow older, like how I used to read ONLY shounen stuff as a kid, but found myself reading more slice-of-life and romantic comedy mangas these days. Maybe you’ll come to “understand” games like Tomodachi Life someday, too!

By the way, I don’t think you can even count Second Life as a “proper game”. It’s more like a chatroom that you can walk around in. LOL

bananaking123

lol tbh i wouldn’t mind buying the game if i actually knew what is going on. the nintendo direct seems to point at it being a random sims-ish game with many MANY peculiar events occurring

Namuro

I don’t know the full details either (just gotta try out the real thing!), but I can imagine that the game sort of plays itself in general. You, the player, takes the role of a God-like being and keep watch over your citizens to see what they are up to. Once in a while, you may want to play around with them, like making them sing to your original musical piece, or dressing them up.

This is why I compared the game to a sitcom. You basically “watch” these guys in the game living out their lives. You can also think of it as raising pets; like maybe keeping an ant colony. LOL

The game also features some really interesting ideas like the voice synthesizer, which I imagine, would be able to vocalize ANY speeches that you write. I can’t wait to make some funny songs for these guys to sing!

Then there’s the joy from just seeing your friends (well, their Mii incarnations, anyway), and even strangers that you happened to meet, all living together and interact with each other. It will be quite an interesting experience!

Kornelious

So, it’s like the Sims, with mii’s and set in Japan and themed like Nintendo….Might have to check this out :D

Eder García

“all hail the Virtual Boy” ROFL
no offense to Sakurai, but his direct was overshadowed by this part

http://vindictushots.tumblr.com/ Okuni-chan

I am SO happy this comes out in June~ This means it can be a day one buy for me. Man that’s a game a month (on top of the steam/eshop sales) My backlog of games is getting longer and longer.

axemtitanium

*Keikaku means plan.

Tetris

Hell. Yes.

notentirelythere

God, what a great Nintendo Direct. This video is, and the game looks, hilarious. I’m impressed with the animations, actually! I’d love to get this game…
But, me and so many of my buds are queer… idk. For one, it feels out of place for a sim game that lets you finely adjust so many character aspects to then disallow non-het orientations… too, it feels pretty awful for a game straight from Nintendo (a company I’ve had a pretty tight relationship with!) saying, “You don’t exist here!” It’s like, ouch, yunno?
I was kind of hoping the rest of the game would end up being less appealing to me because of that. But it looks sweet as heck. Dammit. /Daria voice

Miss_Madness

Wait wait, listen before you decide not to buy it. The best way to get anything done is to give proper feedback after you buy the game. Not buying the game shows Nintendo that game like these don’t have a place in the west at all.

Also if I remember correctly they patched that gay couple glitch because it actually broke the game.

notentirelythere

I hear what you’re saying, but I couldn’t justify throwing dollars at Nintendo for a future uncertainty over a piece of entertainment that’d leave me less bitter.
Iirc, the glitch only allowed male-male couplings, and it corrupted saves. It was a definite ‘glitch’. Still though, that glitch just drew attention to its initial lack of queer couplings.

Miss_Madness

That is fair enough. For me I feel that not doing anything isn’t productive at all. I look at the newest animal crossing, I see they’ve more sensitive to trans and at least have somewhat of skin change feature (Im still wondering how they’ll adapt that in the next game). So to me anything is possible.

notentirelythere

For sure. There’s even a penguin character who goes by ambiguous pronouns! The skin changing feature is only tanning, though–a pre-existant, temporary (unless maintained), if now with year round accessibility thanks to the island. Getting to choose a skin color in Pokemon, though, was a great change.
I’ve sent some customer forms through a couple means to Nintendo, so I’m not doing absolutely nothing (if measurable through affect, near nothing…). Not supporting the game and being vocal about it is my own kind of something–it might not be as immediately effective for this product, but I hope people give it mind. Too, I don’t have a secret, unlimited well of posturing money.

Miss_Madness

Two different ways to handle an issue, hopefully one of them will work. C: Though I could do with a secret unlimited well of posturing money. My backlog is getting bigger every month.

British_Otaku

While I can’t say this game has a strong reason to not have non-het orientations, you (and perhaps your friends) may be in the wrong to feel like a company isn’t acknowledging you by lacking the option. The ideal of having your ideal possibility being reflected in a sim game like this isn’t always going to be met, but there is a good chance for a sequel and that you can enjoy this regardless…

notentirelythere

“you (and perhaps your friends) may be in the wrong to feel like a company isn’t acknowledging you by lacking the option.”
How much of this video was devoted to romantic relationships? A third? It seems to be a large part of the game. Yet, those relationships are limited to an orientation I don’t belong to. I hardly see that as an acknowledgement. Are you suggesting it was a dismissed consideration during development? That’s not the kind of acknowledgement I’d prefer.

“you can enjoy this regardless…”
I could, but the lack of that feature is a detriment to my enjoyment. Comparisons like the following are insufficient because het relationships aren’t widely unrepresented, but: wouldn’t the game be less fun if you could only engage in romantic relationships outside of your orientation? Especially considering romantic relationships are a large part of the ‘sell’?

British_Otaku

Of course, it isn’t acknowledgement, my point was that not all options will be reflected or dealt with adequately and as with Pokemon you mentioned in a comment below… Thousands… millions have enjoyed the series without the option to change the skin colour, gender (or clothes – not that people are likely to focus on that) in numerous titles…

It doesn’t mean that Inazuma Eleven were dismissing girls in the first installment, even if I can’t call none of them being playable the best call as they went on to expand massively from then on.

I feel somewhat unfair saying this, but this should able to be enjoyed for the most part even if you don’t match the orientation of the Mii you created perhaps years ago.

notentirelythere

Between your examples, those franchises 1) were definitely improved by adding those features in future installments, and 2) didn’t prioritize expression or simulation as core engagements as highly as Tomodachi Life.
Also, I11 did dismiss girls by excluding them as players in the first installment; dismissing them as a significant enough demographic to bother appealing to. I’d say similarly with Pokemon’s protagonist, but choice between protag genders wasn’t as visible an option back then.
I also don’t think comparing the origins of worldwide pop phenomena to TL is very apt–and nearsighted, considering their choices TO make girls playable were aims to achieve wider mass appeal+accessibility through representation.
Also, your last line: Mii clients are utilized primarily to represent players and their friends and family! Much of the amusement of TL comes from how the Miis in the game are representations of your friends+so forth.

Namuro

The game looks great! I can’t wait to put all the Miis in there. Maybe my character will even play games with my MH crew!

otakumike

So it’s kind of like the sims? If that’s true I’ll bite.

Shinyhunter7

I agree, it looks funny. But I’d never play it. It feels so awkward and weird just watching it.

Ethan_Twain

Okay guys, I think what we must do is clear.

August 21. Bill Trinen’s birthday. We need to send him presents. The invitation is right there in the video.

Ideas? I’m leaning towards a record player and the beginnings of a vinyl collection myself, but that’s just off the top of my head.

Thatguy

Send him a picture of Samus.

Ethan_Twain

That seems cruel. She prefers Iwata.

Thatguy

THAT is a point }:D

ShawnOtakuSomething

“I want to be friends with Regginator” …. must buy, game of the year.

MJLahey

So…is this game all menu based sim stuff? Or can you actually control your Mii and walk around and explore? Either way, I think I kinda want it.

Eric Harris

This looks pretty fun actually. Looks like it uses text to voice and I’m guessing you can create your own little concerts? It’s silly, but fun if you put all of the Nintendo guys in there. Still waiting on Fantasy Life though.

pokeroi

Nintendo weirdness again! And I love it!!! This is the true nature of Nintendo!

KiTA

So we get this, but no Dragon Quest, ever again? Jesus christ.

ShawnOtakuSomething

blame Square not Nintendo, kay?

Suicunesol

I never understood what this game was really about…

…now I do.

Trailer is meme worthy. Still not sure I’d buy this game, but the preview made a worthy attempt at convincing me.

celery

I almost died laughing watching the Direct.

“Your Mii can do their favorite activities!” [rolls around on the floor]

I normally don’t like these kinds of simulation games but I think I’ll be getting this!

katamari damacy

About damn time! Tomodachi collection was a million seller in japan alone! After seeing animal crossing sell like hot cakes in Nroth America with a similar concept they had to localize. surprised it took them this long and after lots of prodding to finally do it

Lumi

Although I would like it better if they localized Fantasy Life instead, this is really a good step in the direction

katamari damacy

Nintendo doesn’t control that. Level 5 does. and Level 5 thinks that we hate them after White Knight Chronicles wasn’t a million seller like they thought it would be.

http://www.ihasnowebsitez.com Satonaka CP-Four

Hopefully they know better after Ni No Kuni actually sold, they had a hand in that one too no?

katamari damacy

Level 5 disbelieved in Ni no Kuni so much that when Namco Bandai asked to buy the NA/EU distribution rights they laughed at them. Look who’s laughing now. Namco Bandai got the profits off Ni no Kuni as Level 5 didn’t self published. They self-publish Professor Layton, so it’s not as if they couldn’t self-publish it in North America if they wanted to.
If anyone thinks the latest reveal fomr Squarenix that “JRPG fans are around the world” was ludicrous to finally realize now, I’m really wondering what Level-5′s excuse is.

CozyAndWarm

Huh… Originally I had no interest in this game at all (of ALL the 3DS games to localize – Dragon Quest (all 3-4 of them), Digimon, Senran Kagura 2, Project Mirai 2, Fantasy Life, GameCenter CX 3, etc – why THIS one???), but I do like that quirky Japanese weirdness. Now I’m reconsidering.

Ricardo C

This is basically the Sims with Miis. You can marry each other and have children and stuff. I wonder if anything will be changed but I do have one major question though… same-sex relationships or no? I cant find an answer to that unfortunately. I dont know if you can do this in the original DS game ether.

Eder García

no same sex relationships confirmed

Göran Isacson

Ooh, harsh. Is there a source for that confirmation though?

Eder García

it was a glitch that Nintendo patched in the japanese version, no strange the western versions will came with the glitch fixed.

Göran Isacson

Ooooh, this is THAT game? I had completely forgotten the connection there. Still, that’s just a confirmation they’ll remove the bug, says nothing of whether or not it’s a feature they might include in this version?

http://www.google.com/ LuckRequired

Reggie looks like a horrible no-share friend.

Hours Left

The game sounds fun, but unless there is an option for same sex romances, then I won’t be getting it. You can’t make romance such a intrinsic part of the game and use the tagline “Your Life” without including options that suit everyone.

If they don’t have it, I’ll just stick with The Sims.

harmonyworld

Just make one of the miis a female, Mii’s a basically genderless~
If you mean the principal, well….pick your battles son :3

piichan

Animal Crossing on crack!

DustyBlue

This can include mingling, making friends, fighting, or even falling in love and having children.

I just want to know if you can have kids with Reggie.

harmonyworld

Need!

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